This application describes various inputs to a touch screen of a game device that may be used, for example, to control game play.
User inputs to computer systems may be supplied in various ways. For example, when the computer system is a video game system, inputs are typically supplied using cross-switches, joysticks, buttons and the like. A cross-switch or a joystick may be used to control movement of a video game object in various directions and various buttons may be used to control character actions such as jumping, using a weapon and the like.
The systems and methods described herein involve a video game system that has a touch sensitive display screen that can be used to supply inputs used in video game control.
In one example system and method, a user or player draws movement patterns on the touch sensitive display screen. The drawn movement patterns are stored and a game object can be moved in accordance with a movement pattern selected from the memory by the user. This example system and method can be applied by way of example without limitation to a football game in which a user can design and store plays involving various football player movements. These plays can be selected during a game against an opponent.
In another example system and method, a user or player draws a movement pattern on the touch sensitive display screen and a game object is moved based a shape and a color of the drawn movement pattern. This example system and method can be applied by way of example without limitation to moving different game objects using the same movement pattern. For example, a first game object can be moved by drawing a movement pattern of a first color and a second game object can be moved by drawing a movement pattern of a second different color.
In another example system and method, the touch-sensitive display screen can display a map of a game world showing deployment of one or more game objects associated with a video game teammate and of one or more game objects associated with a video game opponent. Tactical game data can be drawn on the map and communicated to another video game system for display on a corresponding map displayed on the other video game system. This example system and method can be applied by way of example without limitation to tactical games so that users or players can plan missions with teammates.